Wave-motor.



PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907. J. R. HENDERSON.

WAVE MOTOR. APPLIOATION FILED AUG.19, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET L PATENTED' DEC. 24, 1907.

J. R. HENDERSON. WAVE MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG! 19. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1m: mamas PETERS C0,, wasymcr JOHN R. HENDERSON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WAVE-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Patented Dec.. 24, 1907.

Application filed August 19. 1907- Serial No. 389.299.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN R. HENDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful W'ave-Motor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates-to wave motors and the objects of the invention are to provide a wave motor which is simple in construction, powerful in operation and which may be regulated according to the tide.

Another object is to provide storage for power generated thereby, whereby the same may be delivered at various points.

Another object is to prevent shock to the float.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention and referring thereto :Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention, the air storage reservoir being greatly reduced in size and shown adjacent the motor, although in use it will be located at a distance from the wave motor in a convenient location. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the motor. Fig. 3 is a cross section on line mm Fig. 2.

The wave motor is constructed with a deck 1 supported by piles 2 driven into the bed of the ocean or into the beach as shown and braces 3 extend from the front edge of the deck 1 to the outer piles 2. Braces 3 being further supported by beams 4 which are parallel with deck 1. A shalt 5 is supported by braces 3 and pivoted on shaft 5 is a series of pairs of regulating levers 6, and pivoted. at 7 between the two lnembers of each air of levers 6 is a paddle beam 8, the lower end of which is provided with a paddle 9. The paddles 9 are immersed in the water and are actuated by the waves to oscillate the paddle beams 8 on their pivots 7. In order to guide the paddle beams and prevent them from lateral movement, guides 10 are employed and are arranged in pairs, one guide on each side of a paddle beam 8. The guides 10 are provided with inclined legs 10 which are pivoted by bolts 1 1 to the braces 3 and the guides 10 are thus capable of being swung up when the paddle beams and paddles are raised for a high tide. Guides 12 are bolted to the braces 3 above the levers 6 and serve to guide the upper ends of the paddle beams 8.

A cylinder 13 having an air passage 14 is pivoted at 15 to each lever 6, and. a piston 16 is arranged in each cylinder 13 with its piston rod 17 pivoted at 18 t0 the associated paddle beam 8 and this device cushions the stroke of the paddle beam and prevents it from producing shocks on the mechanism driven by it. During movement of the paddle in one direction, air is compressed slightly within the cylinder 13 and forced out through passage 14, and during the outward stroke of the paddle the piston 16 sucks air through the passage 14 and this results inregulating the action of the paddle in each direction and prevents it from violent working, particularly at the end of its strokes, or from unusual wave impacts against the paddle while the paddle is in mid. stroke.

Mounted on the deck 1 is a series of air compressors 19, the piston rods 20 of which have cross heads 21, and each cross head 21 is attached to a pair of connecting rods 22 which connecting rods slide in standards 23 and at their outer ends are attached to a yoke 24 which is connected with the upper end of the associated paddle beam by a connecting rod 25. Thus as the paddle beam is oscillated it operates the associated air compressor 19. Each air compressor 19 delivers compressed air through a short pipe 26 to a long pipe 27 which extends along above the deck 1 and compressed air from all the air compressors is delivered into the pipe 27 and may be conducted from pipe 27 to an air reservoir 28 shown in Fig. 1. In the drawing the reservoir 28 is necessarily shown on a very small scale in comparison with the wave motor and it should be understood that the reservoir 28 can be of any desired size and should obviously have a sufficient capacity to store sufficient air according to the demands. Air from the reservoir 28 may be conveyed to engines or motors which may be located at various points through pipes 29 and the reservoir 28 may be located at a considerable distance from the wave motor in the locality desired, although in the drawings it is necessarily shown as in close relation with the wave motor. The reservoir 28 is provided with a ressure ga e a.

The inner end 0 each lever 6 is provided with a slot 30 and a vertical rack 31 which passes through deck 1. At its lower end each rackis provided with studs 32 which enga e in slots 30 in the associated pair of levers 6. Tinions 33 mesh with the respective racks 31 and are mounted on a common shaft 34 which extends along the deck 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and the shaft 34 may be operated by an air motor 35 which is connected with the pipe 27 by a pipe 36, the latter having a valve 37 for controlling the admission of air to motor 35. Thus by admitting air to motor 35, the latter may be caused to operate the shaft 34 and thus raise or lower the vertical racks 31 simultaneously and thus adjust the pivots 7 of the paddle beams to bring the paddles at the right elevation according to the tide. The motor 35 is obviously a reversible motor which enables the shaft 34 to be operated in either direction.

What I claim is 1. In a wave motor, a standard, levers pivoted to the standard, a paddle beam pivoted to the outer end of each lever, a paddle on each paddle beam, racks connected to the respective levers, pinions meshing with the respective racks, a shaft supporting all of said pinions, and means for operating said shaft.

2. In a wave motor, a standard, levers pivoted to the standard, a paddle beam pivoted to the outer end of each lever, a paddle on each paddle beam, racks connected to the respective levers, pinions meshing with the respective racks, a shaft supporting all of said pinions, a series of air compressors, a connection between each air compressor and its respective paddle beam, a delivery pipe connected to all of the air compressors, an air motor connected to said shaft for operating it and having an air connection with said delivery pipe.

3. In a wave motor, a standard, levers pivoted to the standard, a paddle beam pivoted to the outer end of each lever, a paddle on each paddle beam, racks connected to the respective levers, pinions meshing with the respective racks, a shaft supporting all of said pinions, means for operating said shaft, a cylinder having an air passage pivoted to each lever, and a piston in each cylinder with its piston rod pivoted to the associated paddle beam for regulating the stroke of the paddle beam.

4. In a wave motor, a standard, levers pivoted to the standard, a paddle beam pivoted to the outer end of each lever, a paddle on each paddle beam, racks connected to the respectivelevers, pinions meshing with the respective racks, a shaft supporting all of said pinions, means for operating said shaft, a cylinder having an air passage pivoted to each lever, a piston in each cylinder with its piston rod pivoted to the associated paddle beam for regulating the stroke of the paddle beam, guides on each side of each paddle beam and pivoted to said standard, said guides being below the fulcrum of the paddle beams, and guides above said fulcrum attached to the standard for guiding the upper end of the paddle beam.

5. In a wave motor, a standard, levers pivoted to the standard, a paddle beam pivoted to the outer end of each lever, a paddle on each paddle beam, racks connected to the respective levers, pinions meshing with the respective racks, a shaft supporting all of said pinions, a series of air compressors, a connection between each air compressor and its respective paddle beam, a delivery pipe connected to all of the air compressors, an air motor connected to said shaft for operating it and having an air connection with said delivery pipe, and a storage reservoir connected to the first named pipe for supplying air to various power plants.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 10th day of August, 1907.

JOHN R. HENDERSON.

In presence of GEORGE T. HAoKLEY, FRANK L. A. GRAHAM. 

